


Found Love (right where we are)

by authorinprogress97



Series: Beauty, Grace and A Punch To The Face [9]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Female Boo Seungkwan, Female Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Female Wen Jun Hui | Jun, First Kiss, Fluff, Genderbending, Genderfluid Character, Getting Together, Jeon Wonwoo Is Bad at Feelings, Kim Mingyu is Hopeless, Love Confessions, M/M, Mistletoe, Multi, Second Kiss, Shy Boys Doing Shy Things, girl!Jihoon, girl!junhui, girl!seungkwan, this is a first for me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-07 17:56:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13440147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/authorinprogress97/pseuds/authorinprogress97
Summary: It’s all normal, until he realises he’s dreaming about calloused hands in his and a musky cologne – vaguely familiar – teasing his nose. He can hear an unintelligibly deep voice murmuring sweet nothings into his ear and slightly chapped lips pressed against his.When he jerks awake, he realises he’s royally and trulyfucked.|She is beauty. She is grace. She will punch you in the face.|A series of ficlets based around Girl!Seungkwan and Girl!Jihoon with their long suffering boyfriends, basically.|Somehow starting to contain diversity now?





	1. people fall in love in mysterious ways

“What do you even look for in a girl?” Seungkwan asks, nagging like the annoying little sister he never wanted.

If you're asking Wonwoo to be honest, he doesn't know what he looks for in a girlfriend. He's never really felt a need to _date_. It just seems overly complicated when all he wants to do is read books and watch TV in his free time, preferably without all that relationship drama.

Thursday movie nights have become a regular thing in their little group of friends. It's December now, so it means Wonwoo’s apartment smells like peppermint and hot chocolate. Tonight’s playlist is a selection of Christmas movies that they won't pay attention to. Not until next week, at least.

“Does it matter?” Wonwoo snorts, fending off Soonyoung when he tries to occupy space on Wonwoo’s favourite armchair. He narrows his eyes when Seungkwan shoots him an innocent look. “Don't try and set me up with someone.”

“Why not?” This time, it’s Hansol’s turn to be an annoying younger sibling Wonwoo doesn’t need nor want. “You look so lonely.”

“I’m not lonely,” he scoffs, adjusting his glasses. “I’m single, which isn’t the same thing.”

“Let him be,” Jihoon says drily, plopping a piping hot bowl of popcorn into Wonwoo’s lap. “If Wonwoo wants to die old and alone with his twenty cats, it’s his choice.”

Wonwoo scowls, shooting Jihoon a dirty look when she tries to shoot him an innocent smile. He knows they mean well, but Wonwoo's just _not interested._ It's not that he's not interested in girls, he's just not interested in the dating. He's got his hands full with school, his friend group and Mingyu’s monthly breakups.

Like he's been summoned from the mere thought of him, Mingyu bursts through the front door. His hair is a windswept mess, indicating he had torn through campus to make it to the apartment in time.

“Shit, sorry I'm late. I met up with Minkyung and she – she broke up with me,” Mingyu laments.

Once upon a time, the news of a break up would evoke sympathy from the others currently occupying Wonwoo’s living room. Instead, they all heave a sigh, folding themselves so Mingyu has a straight route towards Wonwoo. Minghao lets out a grunt as his fingers get stepped on, Junhui cooing at her younger boyfriend as she brings his fingers to her lips in a sweet kiss.

The architecture student sheds his coat and sweater, so he's clad in only a thin T-shirt and jeans when he finally decides to plop down by Wonwoo's feet. Mingyu whines wordlessly into Wonwoo's knee while the elder absently pets his mussed hair.

“Hyung,” Mingyu whines, voice muffled in Wonwoo's thigh. “What's wrong with me?”

Seungkwan snorts, but a shush from her boyfriend has her standing down. Wonwoo knows she means well, but the last thing Mingyu needs right now is a grocery list of everything wrong with him.

In lieu of an answer, Wonwoo starts the movie (they always start with Mingyu's favourite, just in case). He shuffles so Mingyu can settle against him more comfortably, the popcorn transferred onto the younger’s lap.

_There's nothing wrong with you_ , Wonwoo tries to convey without saying the words. He runs his fingers through Mingyu’s hair fondly. Mingyu lets out a sigh as he relaxes against Wonwoo's calves. _You're fine just the way you are._

 

 

The next morning, Wonwoo wakes up to find the living room in a state of mess. Everyone's still in the same seats, although their positions have changed.

Hansol and Seungkwan are bundled under one of Wonwoo's many quilts. The latter’s head is pillowed on Hansol's bicep, head tilted awkwardly.

Junhui’s still seated, arm slung over her eyes as she sleeps. Minghao’s head rests in her lap, his lanky figure sprawled across Wonwoo's floor and spilling into the hallway.

Soonyoung and Seokmin are sprawled in the middle of Wonwoo's living room, piled on top of each other like a puppy pile. Chan is resting against their stacked bodies, drool dripping from his half-open lips to wet Soonyoung’s shirt.

Jeonghan reigns solo on Wonwoo's only beanbag, phone threatening to slip from his fingertips. He was probably texting his elusive girlfriend, who he selfishly kept hidden from the rest of them, not that Wonwoo blames him.

Wonwoo shifts, back protesting yet another night in his armchair. He fumbles for the remote, shutting the TV off so it'll stop playing the movie they'd watched last ( _The Holiday_ , starring Cameron Diaz and… that other chick).

He tries to get up, but there’s a lump stuck to his legs, rendering him immobile. Wonwoo can recognise that unruly mop of hair anywhere; seems like Mingyu’s decided to use Wonwoo as his favourite cuddle buddy again. The younger has always been a very physical person, even if it Wonwoo wasn’t. It’s something he’s gotten used to – to the point where he might feel empty if he didn’t have his thigh touching Mingyu’s when they sat or Mingyu’s arm slung around his shoulders while they stood.

He carefully pries Mingyu’s fingers from his pants, gently laying the younger down so he can relieve the pressure in his bladder. Only when he comes out of the bathroom does he realise that Jihoon’s small frame is not nestled amongst Seungcheol’s. The aroma of coffee slowly filling the apartment gives Wonwoo his answer – Jihoon, by some early Christmas miracle, is already awake.

Half-awake, he corrects himself as he notices the lethargic way his classmate and friend manoeuvres his kitchen. He’s sure to make noise as he enters his own kitchen, if only so there is no repeat of The Frying Pan Incident of 2016.

“Coffee,” Jihoon rasps, eyes puffy and half-closed from sleep. “Sit.”

Wonwoo grunts in reply. Mornings aren’t his forte. He’s pretty sure the sun isn’t up yet, which makes Jihoon’s awakening all the more mystical.

“Your stupid couch is lumpy and Seungcheol was crushing me,” Jihoon grumbles, blowing a strand of lavender hair out of her face. “Get a futon or something.”

“Buy me one or fall asleep in the guest room next time,” Wonwoo answers unsympathetically. It’s always the same complaint, so he doesn’t take it to heart. If she _really_ hated it, she’d just stop coming to movie nights. If there’s anything Jihoon is good at, it’s being straightforward and easy to read.

The gentle whirring comes to a stop as the coffee machine completes its job. Jihoon fills up two mugs, handing Wonwoo one while she sips from another. This early in the morning, they can't be bothered with frivolities like sugar or milk. They drink it black, the way they like their studios when they're two days from a submission.

Jihoon gazes at Wonwoo over the rim of her mug, eyes sharper than they were two minutes ago. When she puts the mug down, there's a question burning in her eyes.

“So,” she starts, then pauses, scrutinizing Wonwoo's expression. “What _do_ you look for in a girlfriend?”

_I know you didn't like the kids being nosy_ , the set of her mouth says. Other than Mingyu, Jihoon is the only person who understands just how private Wonwoo can be. It's not that he doesn't want to share things with the kids – the kind of girl Wonwoo prefers to date isn't exactly a national secret – but there are just some things he prefers to keep close to the vest, so to speak.

Wonwoo shrugs. He hasn't really thought about it, but words come spilling out of his mouth anyway.

“Someone tall, but not too tall,” he hears himself saying, as if he were in a dream. “Can make me laugh, I guess? I don’t know. Someone with a nice face. Smart, but not arrogant about it. Funny?”

“You said funny twice,” Jihoon snorts. She takes another long sip of her coffee. Wonwoo can practically see the gears turning in her head, slowly grinding to a halt as she comes to a conclusion. “Sounds like your ideal girl is Mingyu.”

Wonwoo attributes it to the early hour that has Jihoon saying such things. Mingyu is his best friend – and is also very much not a girl. It’s not that Wonwoo finds the _Mingyu not being a girl_ problem; if anything, it’s more the _Mingyu is his best friend_ that concerns him.

“Can’t be,” Wonwoo says, after a long pause that has Jihoon’s eyes widening with every moment that passes silently. “He’s not gay.”

Jihoon’s eyebrow attempts to escape into her hairline. “But you are?”

Good question. Wonwoo doesn’t like labels. He thinks things like sexuality and identity are too easily changed. “I don’t know. Maybe. But not for Mingyu.” He thinks.

“Ouch.” The words are sympathetic, but her tone isn’t. “Still… don’t write off Mingyu completely, I guess. He’s an idiot, but if he gets his head out of his ass, he might be good for you.”

Wonwoo shrugs noncommittally. It’s not like he’s going to lay awake at night, thinking of wanting to be Mingyu’s boyfriend.

 

 

Wow, Wonwoo suddenly hates himself.

It’s three fifty-seven a.m. on a Wednesday night. He has a class at eight in the morning and he hasn’t slept a wink. All because he can’t let go of the idea of being Mingyu’s boyfriend.

It’s not like Wonwoo ever feels _alone_. He’s constantly got his friends around him. If he’s not with Jihoon and Soonyoung in class, he’s with Mingyu and Minghao (and by default, Junhui). And if _they’re_ not around, Seungkwan and Hansol are nearby. So he’s not lonely.

But even he has to admit it’d be nice to have a hand to hold, or a shoulder to lie on at the end of the day.

So why, in the middle of the godforsaken night, does Wonwoo find that the hand he wants to hold or the shoulder he wants to lean on has to be attached to a certain Kim Mingyu.

Mingyu has a lot of good traits. He’s a great listener, a funny guy and it’s always easy for Wonwoo to smile around him. Wonwoo’s not a touchy person, but he doesn’t find Mingyu’s proximity annoying or too much. He won’t say he _craves_ the younger’s touch, but it gives him a sense of comfort that physical affection doesn’t usually give him.

Does it mean he likes Mingyu? No, of course not.

_Oh my god, does he like Mingyu?_

No, no way. Mingyu is his _best friend_. Mingyu is also straight. Not to mention he can’t retain a girlfriend for the life of him. Even _if_ Wonwoo liked Mingyu and even _if_ Mingyu liked him back and wanted to date him, it wouldn’t end well. There was no use agonising over non-existent feelings that’ll ruin the best friendship Wonwoo has ever had in this twenty years on this earth. Forget it.

And while we’re talking about things Wonwoo _won’t_ do, he’s not going to pine over an idiot who couldn’t tell romantic feelings from platonic ones even if they smacked him in the face while breakdancing naked. So who cares?

Not Wonwoo, that’s who.

With that decisive thought, the music major squeezes his eyes shut. He forces himself to fall asleep, letting out a sigh as he feels his body sink into dreamland.

It’s all normal, until he realises he’s dreaming about calloused hands in his and a musky cologne – vaguely familiar – teasing his nose. He can hear an unintelligibly deep voice murmuring sweet nothings into his ear and slightly chapped lips pressed against his.

When he jerks awake, he realises he’s royally and truly _fucked_.

 

 

Wonwoo toys with the idea of avoiding Mingyu, but that plan fails within two minutes of walking out the door. Mingyu’s dorm is in the next building and they always walk to their Wednesday classes together. The younger greets him with a chirpy _hey, hyung!_ and Wonwoo tries not to smile guiltily.

He grunts in reply, averting his gaze so Mingyu won’t read the awkwardness in his eyes. It’s irrational, but it feels like Mingyu might know Wonwoo dreamt about him if the latter looked at him long enough. Developing a crush on your best friend kind of really _sucks_. He might have to ask Hansol how he did it ( _for all of two years before he started dating said best friend – yeah, maybe he won’t ask Choi freaking_ I can date my best friend because my best friend is a female _Hansol_ ).

Wonwoo damn near jumps out of his skin when Mingyu wraps a hand around his wrist, peering down at him and looking so goddamned concerned.

“Hyung, are you okay?” Mingyu asks, lips pursed out of worry. “You look out of it. You didn’t stay up late watching porn again, did you?”

Wonwoo’s jaw drops, out of both embarrassment and indignation. “I – first of all, _fuck you_ , I was watching anime,” he sputters. “And second of all, _you’re_ the only person I know who’d stay up late watching porn, you insatiable pervert!”

Mingyu’s lips twitch. Then, he lets out a giggle that escalates into a chuckle and eventually turns into full-blown laughter. Wonwoo tries to stay mad, but Mingyu is doubled over and his laughter is just so contagious. He lets slip a chuckle even though he doesn’t want to.

The younger is wiping tears from his eyes, still chuckling occasionally. Wonwoo doesn’t know when the snow started falling, but it sparkles as it melts in Mingyu’s blonde hair. He’s suddenly hit by a sudden feeling of fondness and spreads warmth from his chest all the way to his fingers and toes.

Mingyu blinks, reaching out for Wonwoo’s cheek and cupping it gently. “Are you… _blushing_?”

Fuck. The tell-tale heat in Wonwoo’s cheeks mean he _is_ blushing and he’s appalled because all Mingyu did was smile at him with snow in his hair. Suddenly, death sounds very appealing.

“I’m cold,” Wonwoo says hastily, jerking away from Mingyu’s warm palm so he can wrap his scarf all the way up to his nose, effectively shielding his blush that _won’t go away_. “Let’s just go, or we’re going to be late for class.”

 

 

“This is all _your_ fault,” Wonwoo hisses as he stands in the doorway of Jihoon’s and Junhui’s apartment. The former blinks up at Wonwoo in confusion, standing to the side so he can stomp his way in.

Soonyoung and Junhui are seated at the coffee table, discussing outfits for the next time Soonyoung feels more feminine. Today is a _he_ day for Soonyoung, so he’s decked out in a pair of ripped jeans and a thick, pale yellow hoodie. In the background, the pause screen for three-way _Halo 2_ is playing on the screen.

“What’d we miss?” Soonyoung asks, seeing the tension in Wonwoo’s shoulders as he wrestles his way out of his wet clothes. “Did that jerk of a professor give Wonwoo a bad grade again?”

Wonwoo runs his hands through his hair in a show of frustration. “She made me have _feelings_ ,” he complains, pointing an accusatory finger at Jihoon. “Mingyu walked me to my class and I got a heart boner!”

“A heart… _what_?” Junhui demands, kohl-lined eyes flicking between her two friends. “Explanation, now.”

“Heart boner,” Soonyoung snickers to himself.

“Shut up,” Wonwoo snaps good-naturedly. “That’s what _you_ said when you decided you wanted to date both Seokmin and the baby.”

A pillow goes flying at Wonwoo’s head, making contact. Wonwoo supposes he should be lucky it’s a cushion and not the Xbox controller.

“Chan’s not a baby, he’s a legal adult!”

“Ladies, please, save the claws for after the explanation,” Junhui says flatly, while Jihoon ambles out of the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate. The drink is pressed into Wonwoo’s freezing hands and the make is seated on the couch.

“So, Mingyu gave you a heart boner,” Jihoon snorts. “Big deal. We get heart boners all the time from our boyfriends.”

Soonyoung and Junhui nod. Obviously they’re not seeing the problem.

“Mingyu’s not gay,” Wonwoo protests.

Soonyoung wrinkles his nose. “Hey, my boyfriends aren’t gay either!”

Wonwoo rephrases. “Mingyu is _straight_. And he’s my best friend!” When Junhui opens her mouth, he continues, “If you try to bring Seungkwan into this, I’ll punch you.”

Junhui whistles. “Ooh, touchy.” She grins. “Come on, it’s not like Jihoonie knew you were gay.”

In response to this, the Busan native shrugs. “Eh,” she says.

“Eh?” the other three repeat. “What is _eh_ supposed to mean?” Wonwoo demands.

Jihoon shrugs again. Wonwoo thinks he might be developing one of those throbbing veins in his forehead, much like the kind Seungcheol has when Jihoon is being particularly difficult.

“What’s the problem?” Soonyoung asks, genuinely baffled. “It’s not like Mingyu would _mind_ if you were gay.”

Wonwoo groans into his hands. “He won’t mind if I’m gay, but he’ll mind if I’m gay for _him_.”

He can already picture the scene: Mingyu finding out he has _feelings_ for him and deciding he wants nothing to do with the elder. It’s like everything he’s ever feared, paired with a broken heart and an emptiness in his life that he’ll never be able to fill. Wonwoo would prefer redoing his finals than go through that.

Soonyoung shuffles closer, placing a gentle hand onto Wonwoo’s knee.

“Look,” the dance major starts softly, “I know it’s scary. I felt the same way when I figured out I was genderfluid, when I first started like Seokminnie and Channie. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but nothing’s going to change if you don’t take a chance, you know?”

Maybe it’s the soothing note in Soonyoung’s voice, but he feels a little less alone. It feels like there’s someone who _gets it_.

“And hey, you might not be gay,” Junhui quips. Jihoon elbows the Chinese native, glaring at the taller female slightly, as if to say _not helping_. “Ow! I’m just saying that sexuality is fluid and Wonwoo could be bi!”

“Or pan,” Soonyoung adds helpfully. “Either way, there’s nothing wrong with liking Mingyu.”

“There’s something wrong with liking Mingyu,” Junhui grumbles, “but it’s more a question of his character rather than the fact that he has a dick.”

“Junhui!” Wonwoo exclaims, scandalised by her choice of words. Soonyoung nudges his controller into the taller male’s hands and Jihoon unpauses the game. The next couple hours is filled with death threats, yelling and a whole lot of friendly fire (both unintentional and intentional), but Wonwoo eventually leaves feeling a lot better than when he arrived.

When it comes down to it, he guesses, all you need sometimes is a couple friends to set you straight (theoretically speaking).


	2. kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for a Christmas Party (and also a Christmas miracle).

Every year, Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s dorm building will throw a Christmas party. There’s always mistletoe, too much alcohol and making out in dark corners involved. As usual, Wonwoo decides not to come but ends up showing up anyway (Seungcheol always manages to bribe him with rum and chocolate).

This year’s theme is Ugly Christmas Sweater, so Wonwoo dusted off an old Christmas sweater his mom knitted him when she went through A Phase. The sweater is bright neon green, with reindeers that are too orange emblazoned on his chest. Rudolph’s nose is a red pom-pom that’s too big. Seungkwan thought it was funny to shove a reindeer antler headband onto Wonwoo’s head (she had the advantage of Hansol’s long arms to get it onto his head) and he’d been too lazy to take it off. There’s too much rum in the eggnog, just the way he likes it.

He’s been busy the last couple weeks, between school and work, so he hasn’t seen much of Mingyu. Last he heard, his best friend-slash-crush was still single and deciding to go through the Christmas season solo, which was a new thing for him. Then again, Mingyu hasn’t been dumped this near Christmas since high school and he’s never been one to jump into a new relationship because of a holiday.

Wonwoo lingers by the drinks table, glancing at his phone. There are a bunch of messages in the group chat he shares with his friends. He scrolls up the message board, before asking where everyone is.

 

**Mingyu:** i just reached, hyung! are you by the drinks table again???

 

All Wonwoo has to do is look up at that entrance, only to be blinded by the _ugliest_ sweater he’s ever seen. It’s light blue, green, red and yellow, but the last three colours are sewn in the shape of badly-shaped snowflakes. Since Mingyu is taller than most, Wonwoo gets a good eyeful of The World’s Ugliest Sweater before Mingyu shoves his way over.

“What do you think?” Mingyu yells over the noise of Mariah Carey singing _All I Want For Christmas Is You_ for the thirteenth time tonight.

Wonwoo snorts, leaning closer so he doesn’t have to shout. He gets a whiff of Mingyu’s cologne and tries not to feel too proud that it’s the same cologne he got the younger for his twenty-first birthday. “You look like a reindeer pissed on you.”

Mingyu’s grin widens, throwing up a double thumbs up. “Kinda what I was going for!”

Wonwoo shakes his head fondly. Of _course_ Mingyu would.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Junhui furiously pointing upwards. Wonwoo squints, before noticing she’s mouthing _look up_. His eyes follow the line of her pointed index finger, dread settling heavy in his stomach. Sure enough, there’s an innocent looking tuft of green hanging above both his and Mingyu’s heads.

_Fuck me_ , Wonwoo bemoans. No one seems to have noticed it, still too preoccupied with their drinks or their partners. His eyes flick for an escape route, _any_ mistletoe-free place he can drag Mingyu to so they can have a proper conversation.

Too bad he underestimated the power of a rum-drunk Jeonghan.

“Wonwoo and Mingyu are under the mistletoe!” Jeonghan laughs, voice filling the room because it just so happened to be the pause between songs. Wonwoo glares at the floor and prays for a Christmas miracle - preferably the floor opening up and swallowing him whole. “Kiss! Kiss!”

As people catch on, the chant grows louder and louder until that’s all he can hear.

Mingyu grins sheepishly. “Sorry, hyung,” he says, pushed closer by the crowd. Wonwoo kinda _really_ wants to die now. “They won’t shut up until we… you know. So is it okay if I – ”

Wonwoo nods jerkily, gaze fixed on a spot between Mingyu’s eyes. He holds his breath as Mingyu leans in a little closer, fisting his hands so they don’t shake.

It’s not like Wonwoo’s been dreaming of this moment forever, but he has to admit that this isn’t how he imagined a kiss with Mingyu would happen. He’d have preferred it in private, away from the boozed up people and the catcalling as Mingyu gets closer and closer.

Wonwoo swears his heart stops as Mingyu pauses, an inch away from the elder’s lips. He can feel Mingyu’s quickened breath and licks his lips nervously, out of habit. He swears the world doesn’t start turning again until he feels Mingyu’s lips on his cheek, pressed firmly enough for Wonwoo to feel it straight to his heart.

Wonwoo jerks, gasp caught in his throat. He feels overwhelmed and caught off-guard, put in the spotlight as people whoop and cheer.

“Hyung, are you – ”

Before Mingyu can finish his sentence, Wonwoo has already turned around to fight his way out of the crowd. There’s tightness in his chest, because he knows Mingyu doesn’t mean it and it strikes something deep in his chest. It’s only something just for gags to the younger, but it means a little bit more than that to Wonwoo. It’s certainly not a joke.

Wonwoo stumbles up the stairs, breaths coming out in short gasps as he tries to find somewhere to escape from the stifling crowd. He spots a balcony – empty because it's too cold – and rushes to it. His hands fumble at the door before he's yanking it open and stumbling into the cool air.

His eyes burn, but he doesn't want to cry. There's nothing to cry about. It was mortifying for Mingyu to kiss him like that in front of everyone, but he should at least try to act like nothing’s wrong. He shouldn't think of the way his heart started beating faster as Mingyu leaned in, the way the younger's breath stuttered as he leaned in close. For a moment, Wonwoo had thought the kiss would be on the lips, instead of the cheek –

The door behind Wonwoo slams open, startling the music major so much that he nearly sails over the ledge. Before he can feel his body tilt backwards, Mingyu is there, gripping his sleeve tight.

“Whoa there,” Mingyu murmurs breathlessly, eyes wide with fright. “You almost – shit, hyung, are you okay?”

“I – I'm fine,” Wonwoo mumbles, pulling away from Mingyu. “I just – that was – not cool, man.”

Mingyu shuffles, eyes shifting like he has something to say.

“Spit it out,” Wonwoo demands.

“You're acting really weird,” Mingyu blurts, tugging at the hem of his sweater. “You don't talk to me and you don't look for me and – I don't know, it's weird.” His voice drops to a whisper. “It kinda feels like a break up. Are you friend-breaking-up with me?”

The architect student looks so sad. His expression reminds Wonwoo of the time Aji broke her leg. It's a reminder that Mingyu has gone through too many breakups this year, with Minkyung being his fourth failed girlfriend. It makes Wonwoo feel like maybe Mingyu doesn't want to lose him either.

_Don't fuck this up. Don't fuck this up, Wonwoo._

Wonwoo is careful to gentle his voice, hand awkwardly reaching out for Mingyu only to rest on his shoulder. “Hey, no. I don't want to – friend-break-up with you? I'm just – going through stuff.”

His entire mini-speech sounds stilted and unsure, but Mingyu's expression brightens with every clumsy word out of Wonwoo's mouth.

“Can I help?” Mingyu chirps, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I hate seeing you so down. I'll help!”

No, nonono. The last thing Wonwoo wants is Mingyu’s help because his fairly sure no amount of _help_ will end in Wonwoo getting over him.

“Nah, it's okay,” Wonwoo says weakly. “I've got it handled.”

“Are you sure? Is it a girl problem? I'm good with girl problems. I can help set you up. Is it about Jieqiong? I think she likes you. I know how to handle her – sort of.”

Mingyu’s eyes glaze over. He's starting to ramble.

“No,” Wonwoo interjects. “Not a girl.”

Something in Mingyu’s expression changes; just a strange set of his mouth, the twitch of an eyebrow. It's not bad… just _weird_.

“Some boy then?” Mingyu asks, without a hint of awkwardness in his stance. “I don’t know who it is, but I bet he’s, uh, cute. Is it someone in your class? I don’t think I’d know him if he was a classmate of yours – ”

“It’s you.”

_What did I say about fucking it up? You’re hopeless._

Mingyu’s eyes widen, growing bigger and bigger until they’re the size of dinner plate. Wonwoo facepalms, groaning into his palm. He turns away, back facing Mingyu so he doesn’t have to see the rejection in his eyes. They’re on the third floor, so jumping from the balcony probably won’t kill him (unfortunately). Then again, anything is possible with Wonwoo’s current luck.

“Hm. Uh. Cool?”

Wonwoo whips around, feeling slightly vindicated. “ _Cool_?” he repeats incredulously. “Is that all you have to say for yourself? I just _confessed my love for you_ – ”

“You love me?”

There’s a dorky grin spreading across Mingyu’s lips. Any other time, it would be adorable; however, all it’s managing to do right now is piss Wonwoo off. What’s so goddamn funny?

“No, I _don’t_ ,” Wonwoo answers vehemently, crossing his arms angrily. “You and your stupid face, your dumb smile, your shitty _jawline_. The fuck you looking at?”

“You like me.” It’s not a question – it’s a statement. Mingyu looks so sure and _happy_. Somehow, against his better judgement, Wonwoo really wants to crash his lips against Mingyu’s; there’s this light in the younger’s eyes that maybe, _quite possibly_ , mean he returns his feelings.

“I kinda want to clock you,” Wonwoo admits.

Mingyu shrugs, still grinning like a dumbass. His teeth are on show, even that one tooth that’s shorter than all the others. “You _like_ me.”

“Do you want me to say it again?” Wonwoo sighs out of exasperation.

“Again?” Mingyu exclaims. “You never said it at all!”

Wonwoo glowers. Most people would cower – Wonwoo can look as fearsome as Jihoon when he wants to – but not Kim Mingyu.

“Aren’t you straight?” Wonwoo grumbles, cheeks starting to heat up because Mingyu looks at him like he’s seeing the sun rise for the first time and it’s _embarrassing_.

“Nope.” Mingyu has the gall to pop the _P_. “Why’d you think I was?”

Wonwoo sputters, choking on his own spit. Not _once_ , in all the years he’s known the taller male, has he shown a preference for a gender other than female. What was he _supposed_ to think?

“I’m out,” Wonwoo announces, shouldering past the grinning idiot in front of him. “You’re drunk. Bye. Rot in hell.”

It’s a testament to how well they know each other that Mingyu laughs it off. He grabs Wonwoo’s elbow and tugs like they’re the main couple in a K-Drama. The elder doesn’t let himself be spun around, but he does stop.

“Sorry,” Mingyu says, still chuckling. “I just didn’t think you’d like me back, you know?”

“Like you back,” Wonwoo echoes. It feels like a fever dream – or maybe a drunk dream. Maybe he’ll wake up in the morning, half-naked in Seungcheol’s room with a raging hangover. “You’re on drugs.”

“Quit calling me out of my mind.” There’s a twinge of annoyance in Mingyu’s voice now. “It’s not _that_ hard to believe.”

“I – this – _since when_?”

A faint blush dusts Mingyu’s cheekbones. It’s _cute_ and Wonwoo has the sudden urge to punch something soft; that’s how fond he’s suddenly feeling and wow, he’s really not used to having strong feelings like this.

The blonde clears his throat. “Um, remember when we had to play that paper kissing game?”

Wonwoo squints. The memory is faint, but there. Mingyu had been a freshman, that much he remembers. It was probably Soonyoung’s fault, if not Jeonghan’s. Mingyu and Wonwoo were a team, so all they had to do was pass thirty pieces of thin paper between each other. The thing that strikes Wonwoo the most is the accidental brush of lips as Mingyu let the paper slip.

“You’re a nerd.” The words slip out of Wonwoo’s mouth, unbidden. “You didn’t think to say anything?”

“I couldn’t tell if you were interested in me!” Mingyu says defensively. “I can’t read minds, you know.”

Now it’s Wonwoo’s turn to be bemused while Mingyu stews in his own stupidity. The elder feels a grin spread across his own lips, causing Mingyu to call him an asshole under his breath.

“God, just – stop looking at me like that,” Mingyu complains, looking up at the sky. His breath blows a pretty cloud up to the heavens. “Can we _please_ go inside and talk this through like adults. It’s freezing out here.”

Wonwoo shrugs, shuffling closer. It’s for warmth, he’ll tell himself. (It’s really to see that light in Mingyu’s eyes when he notices Wonwoo has no intention of creating space between them again.)

They make it three steps into the building before someone else ( _sounds an awful lot like Seungkwan_ ) shrieks, “MISTLETOE.”

Like some cheesy romance flick, Mingyu and Wonwoo both look up. For the second time that night, they’re under that accursed Christmas plant. However, the sight of it doesn’t fill Wonwoo with dread. It fills him with something much lighter, like cotton candy filling up his chest.

“Oh well, Christmas tradition and all that,” Wonwoo says breezily.

Mingyu glances around. “There aren’t that many people?”

He rolls his eyes. God, Mingyu’s lucky that idiocy of his is endearing sometimes. “Shut the hell up and kiss me, Kim Mingyu.”

Before the younger can let out a protest (or even an agreement), Wonwoo’s got a hand fisted in his collar to tug him down. Their lips meet, tasting of frost and rum. _The second time really is sweeter_ , Wonwoo thinks to himself as Mingyu’s hands tangle in his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeeeeeettttt these gay asses got together!!!!!!!!!! if you liked this (or like me huehuehue), hit me up on [twitter](https://twitter.com/serraminiauthor) or [tumblr](http://minteayoongimakesmewoozi.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> also look out for the next fic, which'll come out somewhere between one to six months -winks with both eyes-

**Author's Note:**

> uhhhhh this was supposed to be a christmas fic but now it's 2018 and i'm posting it like a month after christmas so welp. serra proves once again she is not good with timelines yeet.
> 
> also!!! first multi-chap fic of this series!!! exciting!!! (i don't know if there'll be more multi-chap fics but who knows anymore.)
> 
> also first non-het couple getting a fic dedicated to them in this series!!! diversity!!! (although this ship has been a long time coming like really it has been _a long time coming_.)
> 
> if you're excited about meanie (finally) being an item or if u just wanna scream at me about this series (or any of my fics,really), you can (as usual) hit me up on [twitter](https://twitter.com/serraminiauthor) or [tumblr](http://minteayoongimakesmewoozi.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> just so you guys know, i do look through the bookmarks you make of this series so for that one dude (you know who you are) who was talking about meanie possibly being a thing - this one's for you, kid ;)


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